LOS ANGELES — As Southern California closed in on a victory over rival UCLA, JuJu Watkins swatted a shot from Gabriela Jaquez and stared down the broadcast camera on the baseline.
It officially cemented what seemed inevitable: Los Angeles belongs to Watkins. Now, she and the Trojans are coming to overtake the rest of the country.
The stakes were high on Saturday, and everyone inside a star-studded Pauley Pavilion knew it. The Big Ten regular-season championship was on the line, but so was the claim of being the top dog in the City of Angels. Implications so massive, siblings and Basketball Hall of Famers Cheryl and Reggie Miller were sitting courtside together, each representing their alma mater.
There was so much buildup. Could the Bruins make adjustments and get revenge on the team across town en route to winning the conference title? Massive lines formed outside Pauley Pavilion as fans came to see the team the NCAA Tournament selection committee had tabbed as No. 1 in the top 16 reveal two days ago.
But Watkins took her first shot – a 3-pointer – and just like in their first meeting, it perfectly swished through the net. It was a sight that happened often, and the Trojans led from start to finish in an 80-67 victory.
Clinching the conference title in your rival’s arena? Four straight wins against them? With three massive billboards of you gracing the city?
Put the crown on Watkins’ head – and don’t mess with the signature bun.
“I would be remiss to say playing UCLA doesn’t motivate me extra,” she said.
UCLA is probably getting tired of seeing Watkins dissect it. She put up 30 points – 23 in the first half – with five assists, three rebounds and three blocks. In the past four meetings against the Bruins, she’s averaged 33.3 points, 8.5 rebounds. 4 blocks and 3.5 assists per game.
Watkins’ performance was enough to claim the city. It was her teammates who showed the Trojans are capable of taking more.
The rest of the women’s college basketball world groaned when former Stanford forward Kiki Iriafen came back home to play for the Trojans in her final season. A dominant big to go along with a star guard in Watkins? Almost impossible to go against.
It took some time, but Iriafen has really come to play up to her firepower. After she sat out most of the first half due to foul trouble, she took the load off Watkins’ shoulders out of halftime with 15 points and six rebounds in the last 30 minutes. She commanded the post offensively and was knocking down jumpers, providing a lethal 1-2 punch. When she arrived at USC, she said a major priority was to provide relief for Watkins, helping Watkins in those moments where it felt like she was doing it all. But it’s more than just relief; it’s a two-headed monster.
“I’m a very lucky coach to have these two. They’re the best duo in the country,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said of her stars. “These two are unguardable. I think they’re both playing their best basketball now, which is scary.’
Watkins and Iriafen draw all the headlines, but you can’t forget about the supporting cast. Rayah Marshall, a vocal leading senior, played magnificent with her assignment on UCLA star center Lauren Betts, who finished with just 11 points. Freshman Kennedy Smith continued to play tough defense, and fellow first-year player Avery Howell hit back-to-back 3-point shots in the fourth quarter that were essentially the daggers.
It was a complete effort that left Bruins head coach Cori Close hitting her fists on the press conference table, aware of how much the Trojans dominated.
“Just really pissed off we didn’t show up and do our jobs,” she said. “Credit to USC. They were tougher.’
Many head coaches feel like Close after playing the Trojans. For as talented as it’s proven to be, USC hasn’t gotten the national respect it should have. Maybe it was the early loss to Notre Dame, or the tough defeat to Iowa a month ago.
But that loss to the Hawkeyes awoke something in the Trojans. They all hated the taste of that defeat and didn’t want to experience it again.
Since losing to Iowa, USC has won seven straight, including two wins against the Bruins and dominance over a highly-ranked team in Ohio State.
The Trojans are hot at the right time and they’ll head into the Big Ten tournament as the No. 1 seed. With a successful trip to Indianapolis, they’ll be a No. 1 seed again when the NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed on March 16. From that point, it’s tough to argue anyone looks capable of taking them down.
Look around the country. UCLA just lost to them again, Notre Dame is in a little slump, South Carolina had a few slips and Connecticut already lost to USC. Besides Texas, everyone is taking some big punches and the Trojans just keep on landing them.
What’s made this season so intriguing in women’s college basketball is that the race for the national championship is wide open. A case for making it to Tampa for the Final Four could be made for several teams. But at this point, USC is making it known it’s ready to book its trip.
“We’re not done. There’s a lot more,” Gottlieb said.